Charles m



G. M. SMITH.

GAR PLATFORM.

(No Model.)

No. 366,518. Patented July 12, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES M. SMITH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LEWIS J'- BIRD, TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-PLATFORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,518, dated July 12, 1887.

Application filed September 10, 1886. Serial No. 113,242. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. SMITH, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in GanPlatforms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to provide.

[C railway-cars with platforms made compressible or yielding, to prevent said cars from telescoping in case of collision.

My improved platform is especially adapted for use on passenger-nears of that class shown I 5 and described in the application, Serial No. 180,949, filed October 26, 1885, and in which the body of the car is composed of metal plates riveted together, the floor of the said car being supported upon keelsons secured thereto and to the lower part of the car-body; but my invention is applicable to cars made of wood.

The particular and novel features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of aportion of a railway-car provided with my improved platform; Fig. 2, an end view of Fig. 1 with the car-body omitted; and Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of Fig. 1 below line 00 x, to clearly show the construction of my improved platform.

The car or body A herein shown is supposed to be composed of numerous sheets or plates of metal riveted together, substantially as shown and described in the application before referred to, the floor of the said car being supported upon keelsons c e, secured thereto and to the ear-body. Each outside keelson, c, is prolonged beyond the end of the car-body to sustain the platform a, having usual steps, a

4 supported by hangers a".

Each keelson 6 supports a bar, I), flanged at its ends and forming part of a compressible frame to support the platform a, one end of said bar being secured to a buffer-beam, b,

forming the front of the compressible frame,

the other end of said bar having a larger flange,

as b", the said bar being fitted into a guideway in the said keelson. The flange b of each bar, as herein shown, has an ear, I), (see dotted lines, Fig. 3,) to which is secured a crosshead, a. i

The cross-head c has fastened .to it bars 0, also secured to the buffer-beam b, the said cross-head and bars forming part of the compressible frame, the said bars constituting a support for a buffer box, c sustaining a buffer, c, extended through the beam 1) and having the usual disk, 0".

The buffer 0 projects through the bufferbox 0 toward the car, and is provided with a head, 0'', against which presses one end of a buffer-spring, d, the said spring being herein shown as encircling a rod or bar, (2, extended through the cross-head c and attached to the car-body, as shown in Fig. 3.

The cross-head c and flanges b of each bar I) are provided with openings, through which are extended rods or bars d, firmly secured to a cross-beam, d, preferably bearing against the ends of the keclsons c and against angleirons d*, fastened to the keelsons 0.

Each rod or bar (1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, is encircled by an auxiliary or platform spring, f, preferably of steel, the said springs in practice being made so as to possess an aggregate resisting power of forty tons (more or less) when occupying their normal nnco1npressed position, (shown in Fig. 3,) the crosshead 0 and flanges I)" being held against the springs by usual nuts, (lion the bar or bolts d.

The bars I) and c are united by strengthen ing-bars h, and the compressible frame is still further strengthened by the braces h, joining each bar I) with the cross-head c. The bars h and h are both secured to the bars I) by abolt, If, extended through a slot, h, (see Fig. 1,) in the keelson c.

In case of collision, the force of the shock will first be received by the buffer-disk 0" and then by the buffer-beam I). As the buffer 0" is forced backward toward the car, the spring d will be compressed, the said spring being sufficient to resist all ordinary shocks sustained by it in coupling or suddenly stopping the train. Vhen, however, the force is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring (I, as in case of collision, the said force will be resisted, as herein shown. by the springs f, the said force being transmitted from the bufferbeam 1) to the said spring through the coinpressihle frame referred to, the aggregate resistance of said springs being in practice pref- ICO erably as much as forty tons uncompressed and over sixty tons when compressed. The bars I), forming part of the compressible frame referred to, will move in the guideway of the keelsons e as the springs f are compressed.

As an additional means to-resist shocks which would completely compress the bufferspring d and would otherwise somewhat change the platform, I have provided braces if, only one of which is shown, thesaid braces, preferably of steel, being secured to the bufferbeam I) and the car-body, as shown in Fig. 1.

I claim v i 1. In a car-platform, a compressible frame, constructed substantially as described, a buffer supported by the compressible frame, and

' the bufl'er-springd, combined with independent auxiliary or platform springs f, to act upon the said frame and normally maintain it rigid and unaffected until afterthe stress of the buffer-spring shall have been overcome by slight shocks, substantially as specified.

2. In a car-platform, a compressible-frame composed of the cross-head c, a buffer supported by the compressible frame, the bufferframe, combined with the buffer-spring d and the springs f, to operate substantially as de scribed.

4. In a car-platform, a compressible frame composed of the eross-head c, the buffer-beam b, and bars joining said beam and cross-head, and the louffer-boX-c and buffer supported thereby, combined with the spring d, to resist shocks upon the buffer, and with the springs f, to resist shoeks'upon the compressible frame, substantially as described.

5; In a ear-platform, the kcelsons 0, provided with a guideway, a compressible frame composed of the cross-head c, the buffer-beam b, the bars 12, movable in said guideway, the bars 0, the buffer-box secured thereto, and a buffer supported by said buffer-box, combined with the spring (I, to resist shocks upon the buffer, and with the springs f, to resist shocks v upon the compressible frame, substantially as described.

6. In a car-platform, a compressible frame composed of the cross-head a, the bnffer-bea1n b, and bars joining said buffer-beam and crosshead, the buffer-box a, and buffer supported thereby and by the buffer beam, combined with the spring d and with the brace or braces m, to operate substantially as described.

In testimony whereofIhave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub scribing witnesses.

oHAnnns M. SMITH.

WVit-nesses:

G. W. GREGORY, J AS. H. CHURCHILL. 

